Investing.com - European stocks were mixed to lower on Wednesday, as investors remained cautious ahead of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting as uncertainty over the future of the bank's bond-buying program persisted.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.04%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.22%, while Germany’s DAX 30 edged down 0.11%.
Investors were eyeing the minutes of the Fed’s July meeting, due out on Wednesday, for further indications as to when the central bank may start to taper its USD85 billion-a-month stimulus program.
Expectations that the Fed may begin tapering as soon as next month were boosted after data last week showed that U.S. weekly jobless claims fell to an almost six year low.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that the decision to start tapering will depend on whether economic data is strong enough.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale climbed 0.83% and 1.34%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank tumbled 1.09%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish banks Banco Santander and BBVA slipped 0.18% and 0.23% respectively, while Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit advanced 0.66% and 1.21%.
Elsewhere, Heineken saw shares plunge 3.51% after the world's third-biggest brewer said a poor spring in Europe will hold back revenue this year.
In the same sector, Carlsberg reported second-quarter profit that missed estimates as it lowered its forecast for the Russian market this year, sending shares down 1.08%.
In London, FTSE 100 dropped 0.36%, weighed by losses in financial stocks.
Shares in Barclays shed 0.38% and the Royal Bank of Scotland edged down 0.16%, while HSBC Holdings plummeted 2.58%. Lloyds Banking overperformed however, rallying 1.30%.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed as BHP Billiton and Fresnillo tumbled 1.62% and 2.32% respectively, while Glencore Xstrata jumped 1.74%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.11% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.14% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% decline.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release private sector data on new home sales.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 dipped 0.04%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.22%, while Germany’s DAX 30 edged down 0.11%.
Investors were eyeing the minutes of the Fed’s July meeting, due out on Wednesday, for further indications as to when the central bank may start to taper its USD85 billion-a-month stimulus program.
Expectations that the Fed may begin tapering as soon as next month were boosted after data last week showed that U.S. weekly jobless claims fell to an almost six year low.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that the decision to start tapering will depend on whether economic data is strong enough.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale climbed 0.83% and 1.34%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank tumbled 1.09%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish banks Banco Santander and BBVA slipped 0.18% and 0.23% respectively, while Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit advanced 0.66% and 1.21%.
Elsewhere, Heineken saw shares plunge 3.51% after the world's third-biggest brewer said a poor spring in Europe will hold back revenue this year.
In the same sector, Carlsberg reported second-quarter profit that missed estimates as it lowered its forecast for the Russian market this year, sending shares down 1.08%.
In London, FTSE 100 dropped 0.36%, weighed by losses in financial stocks.
Shares in Barclays shed 0.38% and the Royal Bank of Scotland edged down 0.16%, while HSBC Holdings plummeted 2.58%. Lloyds Banking overperformed however, rallying 1.30%.
Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed as BHP Billiton and Fresnillo tumbled 1.62% and 2.32% respectively, while Glencore Xstrata jumped 1.74%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.11% fall, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.14% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% decline.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release private sector data on new home sales.